Latest news with #HopeClinic
Daily Mirror
15-05-2025
- Daily Mirror
'My sister killed our parents and lived with their mummified bodies for years'
Virginia McCullough is now serving a minimum of 36 years behind bars after killing both her parents - her sister Louise Hopkins has spoken out about the horrifying crime A woman whose sister killed their parents then kept their mummified bodies at home for four years has spoken of her own shame and guilt. Louise Hopkins' sister Virginia McCullough pleaded guilty to the murders of her dad John and mum Lois McCullough, who were both in their 70s. Debt-ridden McCullough, 36, is thought to have murdered her parents fearing they were about to expose the credit card fraud she had carried out in their names McCullough is now serving a minimum of 36 years behind bars after admitting killing them both in June 2019. For the four years following the murders she plundered her parents' bank accounts, using the cover of Covid to conceal their murders from family and to cash in their pensions as their bodies decomposed. She stuffed John's body in a "home-made mausoleum" made from B&Q bricks under his bed in the downstairs study of their unremarkable three-bed terrace home. And she wrapped Lois' corpse in plastic sheeting and a sleeping bag before sealing her in a wardrobe in an upstairs bedroom of the property. Now her sister has spoken out for the first time, having not attended her sister's trial. She told how she struggled to come to terms with the murders, in a new interview on podcast The Speakmans Hope Clinic, where she is interviewed by therapists Eva and Nik Speakman, who are often seen on This Morning. Louise, who is the eldest of five sisters, told the married Speakmans that she felt 'shame' and 'guilt', even though she became estranged from her parents decades earlier, and had nothing to do with them. She said: 'I was invited to go [to the trial] but didn't want to because I'd made my peace that I'd left the family and didn't want anything more to do with them. 'I walked away from all of them in 2018 after physically leaving home in 1997. The worst thing is that my parents were left to rot. The grief has haunted me. 'I have had bouts of thinking I must be to blame because I walked away from all that. I've had various flashbacks, just feeling really guilty that if I don't talk about it, it chews me up and I feel physically ill. I'm sad and at points I've screamed uncontrollably.' Louise added: 'I will never forget them. I loved them, but I didn't like them.' Louise also told The Sun: 'I forgive my sister but I would not visit her. I have created a life of peace and tranquillity for me and my children.' During the court case it was revealed that McCullough made a chilling confession to officers after her arrest. She said she poisoned her father with a "cocktail of prescription drugs" in his Guinness, red wine and brandy. She gave Lois a sleeping drug but it was not enough to kill her, so when she woke in the morning and discovered her father dead with rigor mortis, she knew she had to kill her mother. It was then she attacked her mother as she lay defenceless on her bed listening to music, the court was told. She told cops: "I did go upstairs, I didn't really have a plan as such. I had a rough idea of what I might do. So I had Wilkos garden gloves, I had a kitchen knife and I had a hammer. I went into my mother's only wearing the gloves. "I had the hammer and the knife was still in my room. I knew I was going to be arrested for the murder of my father and I was going to go to prison. I looked at her and she looked so innocent. She was just listening to the radio, she was not doing anything. I went in with the hammer probably about four times. I went in three times maybe to build up the gumption, I knew I had to get it done. I raised the hammer a couple of times, I didn't do anything. I raised it a final time and I struck a blow... "She didn't pass... She turned over and said, 'What are you doing?' That's when I hesitated for 20 seconds because she was staring at me in disbelief... I realised the hammer was not going to work. I didn't want her to suffer, I wanted her to be like my father, but my mother didn't drink... "I left the room, I took off one of the garden gloves... I got the knife, which was from Lakeland, it was a large kitchen knife. I didn't have much time, she was still awake, she didn't say anything, other than, 'What are you doing?'" After stabbing her, McCullough said: "I took her hand... she stopped moving and then that's when she just passed. I kissed her hand. That's when I came to the realisation I had killed them both. Then I just went for a wander around the house for a little bit." After the murders McCullough - who is diagnosed as paranoid and autistic - went into Chelmsford town centre and bought plastic gloves and sleeping bags using her father's credit card. She also revisited the GP on the afternoon of June 18 and before visiting she phoned them. She was crying and saying quietly, "Sorry, I love you daddy." Two days after the killing she placed an order with B&Q for 40 building blocks, cement, and sharp sand. A month later a step ladder, paper roll and gorilla tape among other items. But she was able to keep the murders a secret for years, posing as her parents in text messages and telling family they were spending time travelling. Ms Wilding revealed John, Lois and Virginia were in debt at the time of the deaths.
The Irish Sun
14-05-2025
- The Irish Sun
My world fell apart when my sister confessed she'd killed our parents & lived with their mummified bodies for 4 years
WHEN Louise Hopkins got an unexpected call from police to say that they feared her parents were dead, she reeled with shock. But what unravelled next sent her into a state of horror and despair, as it emerged the couple had been killed by her younger sister — who kept them mummified in the family home for FOUR YEARS. 8 Virginia McCullough was eerily calm when she chillingly told police she had murdered her parents Credit: Essex Police 8 John and Lois McCullough had not been seen since August 2018 Credit: PA 8 Louise Hopkins forgives her sister Virginia despite her gruesome crimes. Credit: Paul Marriott In a scene that could have come straight from the pages of a Stephen King novel, Talking for the first time, Louise, 49, told The Sun that she forgives her sister despite her gruesome crimes. She said: 'I have forgiven her for what she's done. I am not drinking other people's poison.' But Louise, who lives in Cambridgeshire, says she will never visit her sister in jail as she still struggles to come to terms with the gruesome killings in 2019. READ MORE UK NEWS She convinced neighbours , friends and family that the couple were still alive by sending text messages from their phones, sending Christmas and birthday cards and gifts through Moonpig and lying about trips away. The 36-year-old continued to live at the couple's home as their bodies decomposed, spending almost £150,000 from their pension, benefits and credit cards — including more than £21,000 on gambling . The Covid lockdown allowed her to get away with her dark secret — and she even posed as her mum in phone calls. Most read in The Sun It was the family GP surgery that finally raised the alarm in September 2023 when pensioner John repeatedly failed to turn up for health checks. When cops visited Virginia, she coolly told them: 'Cheer up — at least you've caught the bad guy.' Chilling moment monster sobs over bloody hammer she used to murder parents Louise said the murders of her parents John, 70, and Lois McCullough, 71, have led to bouts of guilt and excessive OCD after she became estranged from them in 2018 due to her dad's drinking and her mum's controlling behaviour. She says: 'The worst thing is that my parents were left to rot. The grief has haunted me. 'I have had bouts of thinking I must be to blame because I walked away from all that. 'I've had various flashbacks, just feeling really guilty that if I don't talk about it, it chews me up and I feel physically ill. I'm sad and at points I've screamed uncontrollably.' She tells how she struggled to come to terms with the murders, in a new interview on podcast The Speakmans Hope Clinic, with therapists Eva and Nik Speakman. Louise, the eldest of five sisters, tells the Speakmans how she felt 'shame' and 'guilt' — despite leaving home decades earlier, before becoming estranged from her parents. She said: 'It was as though I was carrying some poison and daren't share it. It just kind of eroded me.' To the outside world, the McCulloughs looked like a perfect family unit — a loving daughter who stayed at home to look after her ageing parents in their modest house in Pump Hill, Chelmsford. 8 McCullough said she 'deserved to get what's coming' for her when she was arrested Credit: Essex Police / East Anglia News Service 8 Paintings and blankets hide makeshift mausoleum where killer daughter hid John's corpse Credit: Essex Police / East Anglia News Service 8 The 36-year-old continued to live at the couple's home as their bodies decomposed, spending almost £150,000 from their pension Credit: JOHN McLELLAN John was a retired business studies lecturer who had worked at Anglia Ruskin University, while neighbours later described Lois as a quiet woman who did not engage in small talk. 'They were nice , normal people ,' a local shopkeeper said after their deaths. 'I thought they'd gone away on holiday.' Other neighbours said Virginia was 'quite chatty' and 'a little bit odd' but there was no indication of the 'psychopathic tendencies' later described in court. While they presented a picture of respectability, behind closed doors John was fighting alcoholism and Lois suffered with anxiety, agoraphobia and obsessive compulsive behaviour. Growing up, Louise said that her dad — described in court as being in poor health with high cholesterol and diabetes — would down a 'bottle of wine in ten or 11 minutes.' The worst thing is that my parents were left to rot. The grief has haunted me. Louise She told the Speakmans: 'It was crazy. When I hit 18, he'd make me go to the off licence and buy him whisky because he couldn't stop. 'I thought I must be to blame. I tried to save them but dad was a violent alcoholic. They wouldn't help themselves.' It is clear from the podcast that Louise is not victim blaming, but struggling with the reasons behind her sister's actions and her own estrangement from her parents. 'I will never forget them. I loved them,' she says, 'but I didn't like them.' 'I was drinking the poison in the household I grew up in' After she found out about her parents' deaths, Louise initially 'mourned quietly' — but when She said: 'I felt like I was drinking the toxicity of the poison in the household I grew up in.' OBSESSIVELY WASHING HANDS After struggling with OCD in the past, Louise began obsessively washing her hands and struggled with everyday life as she came to terms with the murders. Breaking down, she says: 'I'd obsessively wash my hands, have memory blanks about what's happened, controlling the children, checking their hands as well. It's too much. 'I think it's just a control thing but I've had issues with that, way back, from when I was small. Mum was very clinically clean and dad would never wash his hands.' Louise never attended her sister's trial after She said: 'I was invited to go but didn't want to because I'd made my peace that I'd left the family and didn't want anything more to do with them. 'I walked away from all of them in 2018 after physically leaving home in 1997.' Louise told The Sun: 'I forgive my sister but I would not visit her. I have created a life of peace and tranquillity for me and my children.' Chelmsford Crown Court heard how Virginia gave her father a fatal dose of sleeping tablets in his drink. When she found him dead the next morning, she decided her mother could not be allowed to find out. 8 Virginia was jailed for life with a minimum of 36 years in October last year after poisoning dad John and battering mum Lois with a hammer Credit: PA 8 After four years, the law had finally caught up with the cold-blooded killer Credit: Essex Police As radio , her daughter hit her with a hammer and stabbed her eight times in the chest and neck, apologising as she bled out. When police finally knocked on the door and started asking Virginia about her parents, she eventually said: 'I know why you're here. My father is in there. I murdered him.' After stuffing her mum's body into a wardrobe, which she taped up, putting a breeze block against it, she built a DIY mausoleum for her dad. The structure was made from masonry blocks and wooden panels and covered with multiple blankets, with pictures and paintings on top. 'COMPULSIVE LIAR' Inside, police found at least 11 layers of plastic covering the body, which was wrapped in a sleeping bag. The court was told that Virginia was a 'compulsive liar' who told her parents she was a web designer and made up medical conditions such as thunderclap headaches. She made 238 calls to Essex police about trivial matters that 'showed paranoia' and 185 to the GP surgery, including calls pretending to be her mum. In bodycam footage released by police, Virginia told officers who smashed down her door: 'I did know that this would kind of come eventually. 'It's proper that I serve my punishment.' After four years, the law had finally caught up with the cold-blooded killer. Louise, meanwhile, is still slowly rebuilding her life. She said: 'My children are happy and healthy, I'm more positive than negative and I have a good support network.'
Perth Now
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Kerry Katona is 'still in love' with Ryan Mahoney
Kerry Katona thinks she's "still in love" with Ryan Mahoney. The 44-year-old star split from her fiance after six years together in November last year, and while she still has some feelings for her ex, she doesn't expect them to rekindle their romance. She told life coaches The Speakmans on their 'Hope Clinic' podcast: "I think I am still in love with Ryan. "But I don't think I'll ever get back with him, ever. I became an asset." The former Atomic Kitten singer described her ex as "a great business partner but a s*** fiance". She said: "I'm never going to get from Ryan what I want, and I realised that now. I think I just plodded along with it. "I used to say, 'You're a great business partner but a s*** fiance'. I was made to feel as though it was all me. "Ryan is not emotionally available for me - I wantsomeone who is really going to show their emotions for me, and grab me and tell me they love me, and how worthy I am. "It doesn't mean he's a bad person." Looking to the future, Kerry hopes she will find love again, but she's not rushing into another relationship. She added: "I still believe I will find the love of my life. "I've had many loves of my life, but at the moment, I want to just be in a relationship wtih myself - for at least 12 months." Ryan was almost 10 years her junior, and Kerry - who has signed up for UK dating TV show 'Celebs Go Dating' - has insisted she wants to avoid younger men after their split. In her column for OK! magazine, she wrote: "I'm a bit of a nightmare! "I'm very abrupt and to the point, half of the men in the first mixer were half my age, so I told them not to come near me - I could be their mum! "I can't say too much more, but I can't wait for you all to watch it!"
Irish Independent
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Kerry Katona says she doesn't regret doing drugs, going bankrupt or any of her marriages
The 44-year-old, who has done numerous stints in rehab for cocaine use, filed for bankruptcy twice and had three unsuccessful marriages. ' I don't regret the bankruptcies. I don't regret the marriages. I don't regret any of it because I'm where I'm today,' she told The Speakmans Hope Clinic podcast. 'I've got to a point in my life now that every morning I wake up, I'm so grateful. I'm so thankful, and so many people would change their lives [with me] in a heartbeat. 'I think we've all got our own sh*t going on. We've all got crap. Everyone's got their own story. I am not a victim. I used to be. I used to live in a self-pity party. Poor me. 'You guys know me better than anybody,' she said to podcast hosts Nik and Eva Speakman. 'And all I want to be is loved.' Appearing on the show, Kerry wore a bright blue t-shirt with her blonde locks worn down. 'In our Hope Clinic this week, @kerrykatona7 opens up about her past, her recent break-up, and how she always bounces back despite having her trust broke,' a description of the episode reads. The mother-of-five recently split from her fiancé, and partner of six years Ryan Mahoney. Mahoney (36) moved out of their home after 'a breach of trust.' Announcing the split in her OK! Magazine column last November, Katona wrote: 'Last week I spoke about how Ryan and I were having a tough time and now he has moved out of the house. ADVERTISEMENT 'We are no longer together and It's been a really tough week - I never in a million years thought this would happen. Without going into too much detail, there has been a breach of trust between us. 'I don't know if we'll be able to work it out or not, but I do still love him so much. I feel like everything has heaped on recently and it's so much to deal with, I am really struggling,' she continued. 'But I know I can get through it no matter what happens, I've been through break-ups before and come out the other side, so we just need to see what happens.' Prior to the split, Kerry revealed she felt 'unsupported' by Ryan and had temporarily moved in with her mother, Sue, At the time, she said: 'I want to say a massive thank you to my mum, who has been my rock during the last couple of weeks. I've been staying at hers and she's really looked after me. 'If I'm honest, I've felt more lonely than ever during my recovery. Ryan was away getting a tattoo in London when I went into hospital and I haven't seen him since my surgery over a week ago. 'That upset me, because it made me feel unsupported and I could have done with the emotional support. I'm always the 'strong mum' in our house and this week I really wanted to be looked after and have him here, but I had my mum instead,' she said. Katona has often joked about her numerous tumultuous relationships. Appearing on the Podge and Rodge show in 2018, Podge joked: 'It must be hard to get parking outside your house on Father's Day.' Laughing, she fired back: 'I never knew my dad, so I want to make sure there's enough dads involved for my kids. "If you lose one, there's another one there!' Katona's first marriage was to Westlife star Brian McFadden. The couple tied the knot in Meath in 2002 before settling down in Portmarnock where they lived until they split in 2004. They welcomed two daughters, Molly and Lilly-Sue, during their relationship. Katona's marriage after that was to Mark Croft from 2007 to 2010. Their relationship was fraught with allegations of cheating from both parties. Kerry also claimed that he had an 'obsession with spending her money,' contributing to her first bankruptcy in 2008. Her second was in 2013. The couple had two children together, Heidi and Max, and eventually split after Katona cheated on her husband with ex-Royal Marine, Kevin Green. The pair went on to have a short-lived romance before Katona met her third husband, George Kay, with whom she shared one daughter, Dylan-Jorge. Katona and Kay wed in 2014, and divorced three years later in 2017. The 39-year-old former professional rugby league player died suddenly in 2019 after biting into a ball of cocaine and having a seizure in front of staff at a Holiday Inn.
Sunday World
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Sunday World
Kerry Katona says she doesn't regret doing drugs, going bankrupt or any of her marriages
'I don't regret any of it because I'm where I'm today.' Kerry Katona has said that she doesn't regret doing drugs, going bankrupt or any of her marriages. The 44-year-old, who has done numerous stints in rehab for cocaine use, filed for bankruptcy twice and had three unsuccessful marriages. ' I don't regret the bankruptcies. I don't regret the marriages. I don't regret any of it because I'm where I'm today,' she told The Speakmans Hope Clinic podcast. 'I've got to a point in my life now that every morning I wake up, I'm so grateful. I'm so thankful, and so many people would change their lives [with me] in a heartbeat. 'I think we've all got our own sh*t going on. We've all got crap. Everyone's got their own story. I am not a victim. I used to be. I used to live in a self-pity party. Poor me. 'You guys know me better than anybody,' she said to podcast hosts Nik and Eva Speakman. 'And all I want to be is loved.' Kerry Katona Appearing on the show, Kerry wore a bright blue t-shirt with her blonde locks worn down. 'In our Hope Clinic this week, @kerrykatona7 opens up about her past, her recent break up, and how she always bounces back despite having her trust broke,' a description of the episode reads. The mother-of-five recently split from her fiancé, and partner of six years Ryan Mahoney. Mahoney (36) moved out of their home after 'a breach of trust.' Announcing the split in her OK! Magazine column last November, she wrote: 'Last week I spoke about how Ryan and I were having a tough time and now he has moved out of the house. 'We are no longer together and It's been a really tough week - I never in a million years thought this would happen. Without going into too much detail, there has been a breach of trust between us. 'I don't know if we'll be able to work it out or not, but I do still love him so much. I feel like everything has heaped on recently and it's so much to deal with, I am really struggling,' she continued. 'But I know I can get through it no matter what happens, I've been through break-ups before and come out the other side, so we just need to see what happens.' Prior to the split, Kerry revealed she felt 'unsupported' by Ryan and had temporarily moved in with her mother, Sue, At the time, she said: 'I want to say a massive thank you to my mum, who has been my rock during the last couple of weeks. I've been staying at hers and she's really looked after me. Kerry Katona 'If I'm honest, I've felt more lonely than ever during my recovery. Ryan was away getting a tattoo in London when I went into hospital and I haven't seen him since my surgery over a week ago. 'That upset me, because it made me feel unsupported and I could have done with the emotional support. I'm always the 'strong mum' in our house and this week I really wanted to be looked after and have him here, but I had my mum instead,' she said. Katona has often joked about her numerous tumultuous relationships. Appearing on the Podge and Rodge show in 2018, Podge joked: 'It must be hard to get parking outside your house on Father's Day.' Laughing, she fired back: 'I never knew my dad, so I want to make sure there's enough dads involved for my kids. "If you lose one, there's another one there!' Kerry Katona and Brian McFadden were married from 2002 to 2006 Katona's first marriage was to Westlife star Brian McFadden. The couple tied the knot in Meath in 2002 before settling down in Portmarnock where they lived until they split in 2004. They welcomed two daughters, Molly (21) and Lilly-Sue (20), during their relationship. Her marriage after that was to Mark Croft from 2007 to 2010. Their relationship was fraught with allegations of cheating from both parties. Kerry also claimed that he had an 'obsession with spending her money,' contributing to her first bankruptcy in 2008. Her second was in 2013. The couple had two children together, Heidi (16) and Max (14), and eventually split after Katona cheated on her hubby with ex-Royal Marine, Kevin Green. The pair went on to have a short-lived romance before Katona met her third husband, George Kay, with whom she shared one daughter, Dylan-Jorge (11). Katona and Kay wed in 2014, and divorced three years later in 2017. The 39-year-old former professional rugby league player died suddenly in 2019 after biting into a ball of cocaine and having a seizure in front of staff at a Holiday Inn.
